Disclaimer: All of the characters belong to J.K. Rowling. No money is being made from this.
Prince William
~~*~~
She stood, frozen in terror as the beam of light hit him. She didn't recognize the curse, but that didn't matter. His body flew in the air, landing in a heap near the trees.
"BILL!"
He didn't move. The Death Eater that cursed him moved onto a new target, not bothering to make sure that he was dead. She ran from the safety of the trees where she was supposed to remain hidden. She didn't care who saw her; he needed her. The haze of curses flew around her as she sprinted towards his prone form. She flung herself on the ground next to his body as a beam of red light grazed her hair.
"BILL!" She cried. "Please get up! Oh Bill…"
He didn't respond to her urges. She took hold of his hand, hoping that he would be all right. She couldn't lose him; not like this. He was everything to her, her protector, her aid, her hero.
As she sat vigil beside his still unmoving form, images from her life began to swim across her eyes.
~~*~~
"There once was a beautiful Princess named Ginny, who had six crazy brothers…"
She giggled.
"One of them, the oldest, was charming and handsome. His name was Prince William, and he was Princess Ginny's favourite brother."
Ginny smiled sleepily as he told her the story of Princess Ginny, the same story he told her each time she asked. She felt her eyelids droop as he tucked her in.
"Night Prince William," she murmured.
"G'night Princess Ginny," he whispered…
~~*~~
"1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 … very good Bill."
"I feel stupid," he whined.
"Well, if you didn't step on her feet so much, maybe poor Ginny wouldn't have to stand on yours." Her mother scoffed.
She giggled and looked down to watch herself being carried by Bill. She was only five, but she felt strangely grown up, here in their family's living room, waltzing with her older brother. Someday, she'd be big enough to dance with her own feet…
~~*~~
She sat in her room, reading her special letter. Oh, how she loved letters from Bill. Ron had helped her to read it the first time, now she had it memorized.
Dear Princess Ginny,
Sorry that this letter hasn't arrived sooner, being Head Boy is a lot of work. How are things at home? How is Ron treating you? If he does anything mean, you make sure to tell me, and I'll set him straight. We just had a Hogsmeade weekend, so I put some candy in the letter for you. Don't show it to Mum, she'd have a fit if she saw all the sugar. It'll be our little secret.
Sorry, I've got to run; I have a meeting with McGonagall. Take care little sister.
Love,
Prince William.
~~*~~
"Bill!"
She ran at him, and he swept her up in a hug. She loved Christmas holiday, when her brothers came home.
"How are you doing, Princess Ginny?" He asked, setting her back on the floor. She giggled at his nickname for her.
"Brilliant, Prince William," she beamed at him. He ruffled her hair before following her into the kitchen to join the rest of the family.
That Christmas, he brought her a picture of the two of them, in a beautiful silver frame. She took that picture with her everywhere she went…
~~*~~
"Ginny?"
She froze, her hand resting on Charlie's broomstick. She hadn't thought that anyone would notice her leave the house, but obviously Bill had. She turned slowly, trying to conceal the broom that she was holding. "Hi, Bill."
"What do you have there?" he was smirking at her, it was apparent that he knew her secret.
"You can't tell anyone!"
"Tell them what?" he asked. "What are you hiding?"
She bit her lip and brought that broomstick out. "I-I was just going to practice for a bit. I'll put it back, I promise!"
"You're flying? Ginny, Mum said that you're too young."
"But I'm not!" she looked at him, her eyes pleading. "Please don't tell anyone."
He sighed. "You be careful."
"Thanks Bill!" She grinned, then threw her arms around him.
"Anytime," he said, ruffling her hair. "C'mon, let's go see what our crazy brothers are up to."
Her spirits soared as she walked beside him, knowing that she would follow him to the ends of the earth if she could …
~~*~~
There was a light knock at her door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me. Can I come in?"
"Sure."
She set down her book and turned to face Bill, who sat down on the edge of her bed. He looked sad, but excited at the same time.
"Gin, there's something I have to tell you…" he started.
"Okay."
"I've got a job."
"That's so great!" She squealed, launching herself at her brother. "Is it at the Ministry with Dad? Oh, this is going to be so great, Bill! You don't have to go off to school again, you can stay home and teach me spells, then I'll be really smart, just like you …" she trailed off as he pulled away from her, an apologetic look on his face.
"I won't be living here."
"What? Where, then?"
"Egypt. I've got a job at Gringotts."
"Egypt?" She had heard about Egypt in the stories that Bill read to her when she was younger. "But that's so … far, isn't it? Bill, you can't…" She started to cry. The idea of him leaving was just too much to bear-- these past months with him had been marvelous, she didn't want him to go anywhere.
"Shh … Don't cry Gin. It's not that far."
"It is!"
"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'll still visit all the time, and maybe someday, you could come see me in Egypt. Besides," he continued, "You'll be starting Hogwarts in a few years, you probably won't even remember me after that, with all the friends you'll make."
"You promise to come visit?"
"Of course," he said softly, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"And write me letters?"
He nodded. "And write
loads of letters."She hugged him again, trying her best to convince him to not go away. But he did …
~~*~~
She sat on her bed, the curtains pulled closed, reading her latest letter from Bill.
Dear Princess Ginny, (Am I still allowed to call you that, seeing as you're all grown up now?)
How are things at school? I can't believe you're in your first year at Hogwarts already. It seems like just yesterday I was changing your nappy. But I'm sure you don't want to hear about that…
Your last letter sounded a little sad. Is something wrong Ginny? This Harry Potter sounds like a nice guy, but if he's too daft to notice my amazing little sister, then I don't like him. Maybe Charlie and I should have a little 'chat' with him.
How are things with Ron? I know you said that he barely talks to you, and I'm sorry, Gin. I don't think he does it on purpose; he's just excited to have friends. Don't worry; you'll have your own soon enough. If there are any problems, you know you can go to Percy, right? He may be busy now, but he'll help you if you want him to. (And maybe if you don't.)
Owl me if you need to.
Love,
Prince William. (I like the title, so I'm keeping it)
~~*~~
She stared at the pyramids in the distance, marveling at their sheer size. She understood why Bill loved it here so much.
"Hey, little sister."
She turned to find Bill, stepping out onto the terrace. They had just returned from a family dinner, and she wanted some fresh air.
"Hi, Bill."
She heard Fred turn on the wizarding wireless inside, as her family settled around the fire.
"May I have this dance, milady?" Asked Bill as he extended his hand.
"Bill!" She giggled. "Don't be silly."
"You don't want to dance with your big brother anymore? Come on, I need the practice." He took hold of her arms and started swaying to the music. Ginny knew that her face was flaming. She finally put one hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand, and they swayed for a few minutes in silence.
"How are you, Gin?" He asked softly.
She knew exactly what he was referring too. The Chamber. It had happened over a month ago, but he had never mentioned it, just hugged her fiercely when they arrived in Egypt.
"I'm fine," she mumbled. It wasn't totally a lie. She did feel much better than she had. Maybe it was the change of scenery, maybe it was her family, or maybe it was the fact that her rescuer was, indeed, Harry Potter…
"Okay." He nodded. Ginny didn't want to ruin the moment, by rehashing all the horrible details with him.
"You've gotten really good at this," she remarked.
"What, dancing?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, well," he blushed, "I've had practice…"
"Oh. With who?"
"Just... a friend of mine. She likes to dance."
"You have a … girlfriend?" She didn't know why, but the thought saddened Ginny. Bill wasn't supposed to have a girlfriend, and get married. She was supposed to be his number one girl, he'd told her so.
She saw his blush deepen. "Well, sort of…" He must have noticed her expression, because he stopped moving. "What is it?"
She turned from him. "Nothing," she mumbled.
"Gin…"
"You can't get married!" She suddenly blurted.
"Married? I'm not getting married."
"B-but you will. You'll get married and go off and have kids and forget all about me."
"Gin, I-I'm not ever going to forget you. I may get married … someday, but that doesn't mean that I'll forget you. How could I ever forget Princess Ginny, my favourite dance partner?"
'Y-you mean it?" She sniffed.
He hugged her. "Of course I mean it! And you're not allowed to forget me. I expect a waltz to be reserved for me at your wedding to a certain Mr. Harry Potter."
"Bill!" She cried, swatting him on the shoulder.
"Well," he laughed, "whoever it is, he'd better know that you're
my dance partner … forever.""Forever," she agreed …
~~*~~
"I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not," stated Charlie.
"I'm sixteen years old, you can't tell me what to do!"
"Gin…" It was Bill. "Please just stay where it's safe. This is serious, people are getting hurt, and you have to stay sheltered."
"But-"
"No buts. I'm not kidding Gin, you can't be in this one. It's too dangerous."
"But Ron, and Harry-"
"Ron, Harry, and Hermione were all trained for this, you weren't."
"But-"
"Please Gin, I... we … I don't want anything to happen to you…"
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine, Charlie will be fine. We know our hexes. We're not worried about us; we're worried about you. Please just stay away from the fighting…"
She looked up into her brother's brown eyes. He looked so desperate, so scared. They were going out to war, all of them, and leaving her behind. How could she not go?
Because Bill was asking. She would do anything for Bill, even if it meant going against what her heart wanted. She finally nodded.
"Thank God," he murmured as he pulled her against him. She couldn't help the tears that escaped her as he let go and followed Charlie out of the castle….
~~*~~
She had listened. She hadn't joined the fighting. But she had watched, horrified, as blood was shed, and lives were destroyed. She sat by her brother's body now, not knowing what to do.
"Please Bill," she begged, "please wake up." She could barely see him through the tears that had flooded her eyes. "You can't leave me… y-you just can't!"
She collapsed onto his stomach, gripping his robes with her small hands. "Please Bill! Y-you have to dance with me at my wedding, remember? Y-you promised Bill! Please Bill…"
"Gin?"
It was so quiet that she barely heard him whisper her name. But she did hear it. She lifted her head, coming face to face with his brown eyes.
"Oh Bill!" She cried, falling on him again. He winced and she immediately sat up. "I'm s-sorry."
He followed suit, carefully raising himself to a sitting position. "It's okay, Gin." He looked at her. "What are you doing here? I thought that you were staying away…"
"I did, I promise I did. I-I saw you fall, and I-I thought…" she couldn't put into words what she had thought. He seemed to understand.
"Come here," he whispered, opening his arms.
She fell into them at once. Ginny wrapped her arms around her eldest brother's neck as his encircled her waist with his own. His arms were strong, from war training, but he held her gently. "It's okay…" he whispered as she buried her face in his neck, relief washing over her. Ginny could feel her own trembling. He began rubbing circles on her back, just like their mum did. The action was more comforting than Ginny ever imagined it would be. She kept hold of him, not wanting to let go. He didn't make her. She couldn't stop the tears that kept pouring out of her, soaking his neck and robes. Bill brought a hand up and cupped the back of her head, to stop her from shaking. He gently rocked her back and forth, as they sat on the ground, mere paces away from a war.
She didn't care about the war, didn't care about Voldemort, and for the first time in what seemed like her entire life, she wasn't thinking about Harry Potter. Not at this moment. All that mattered was that Bill was here, holding her, safe.
"I love you, Prince William," she said softly into his robes.
He ran his hand along her head, smoothing her hair. "I love you too, my Princess Ginny," he whispered.
To hear him say it brought warmth to Ginny's heart. She didn't know how long she stayed, wrapped around him, before he finally pried her hands away. She knew he had to go back, knew he had to fight, but it broke her heart to see him walk away from her again. He was the most amazing man, her brother.
Her Prince William.
A/N Thanks to Rachel and Katie, who helped me edit this, and for encouraging me to get things posted.
I'd love to hear what you think of this… so please review.